Still a bit groggy Clermar whispers to Liafial, "I'm not sure, someone in that mansion." He gestures at the strange elf and woman, "Who are they? Can we trust them?"

Streams of blue light begin to spread out from Opherani's amulet, forming a lattice of arcane energy like a net around the group. "Mirror?! What mirror? What MANSION?! I thought you said-" he is cut off as there is a pulse from the amulet. More beams of light arc out from the points where they intersect, creating a fractal pattern that obscures the surrounding palace. The sounds of Citrine City become washed out and are replaced by an irregular ringing in your ears, which matches the electric tingling feeling that spreads across your bodies. The sound rises to an uncomfortable volume for an instant before stopping suddenly. The lights fade away like an after image burnt on your retinas, and beyond them you see a stark contrast between the Everqueen's palace where you were, and wherever it is you are now. The group finds itself in the very center of a large, circular room which looks to be made of grey stone. Above you there is a massive device affixed to the ceiling, crafted from copper. It looks similar to a gyroscope, but it has several glass lenses arranged around it's form, all etched with arcane symbols, and a massive blue stone just like the one inside Opherani's amulet. Through an archway that leads into another room, a bronze scaled dragonborn enters. "Opherani, welcome back. Oh, and Ava what a pleasant surprise. And these must be the interlopers. Welcome to the Bounders headquarters, I am Caj. Follow me, Kizzerai is expecting you." they say in a calm, velvety voice. They gesture to follow, and head back through the archway. Meanwhile, Opherani glares at you all. "I suggest you be more forthcoming with Kizzerai, he is the one who'll decide your fate. And trust me, you'd much rather have your memory wiped than the alternative."

"Calm down, Opherani. They're just scared, and who wouldn't be at the possibility of having their memories erased? Besides, have you ever known someone to successfully deceive Kizzerai?"

Ava then turns to the group- "I was hoping to have a little more time to get to know you, but my intuition tells me that you all are forthcoming, and I know that I can rely on that. Once we are in Kizzerai's chamber, all you have to do is tell him the truth, and that you've offered your assistance to me. I should be able to take care of the rest, and you should all be able to leave this place unaltered."

"Right, sure, ok."

Franz still looks uncertain that anything being suggested will actually work to save him from the fate he foresees.

The eye, that some may have noticed before, is gone now, smooth skin as it should be.

"My wizard tutor warned me that becoming a wizard could lead to unexpected and unwanted incidents."

Franz seems to slump into himself, weighed down by the impending encounter.

"I wont even get the benefit of dyeing, I will just be erased, I wont get to be reunited with my family in the life to come. No my replacement will have that pleasure instead."

Franz eyes are slightly teared up, but he is not crying, not yet.

Franz begins to follow the dragonborn towards his fate.

Quote from Sphynxyy >>

Streams of blue light begin to spread out from Opherani's amulet, forming a lattice of arcane energy like a net around the group. "Mirror?! What mirror? What MANSION?! I thought you said-" he is cut off as there is a pulse from the amulet. More beams of light arc out from the points where they intersect, creating a fractal pattern that obscures the surrounding palace. The sounds of Citrine City become washed out and are replaced by an irregular ringing in your ears, which matches the electric tingling feeling that spreads across your bodies. The sound rises to an uncomfortable volume for an instant before stopping suddenly. The lights fade away like an after image burnt on your retinas, and beyond them you see a stark contrast between the Everqueen's palace where you were, and wherever it is you are now. The group finds itself in the very center of a large, circular room which looks to be made of grey stone. Above you there is a massive device affixed to the ceiling, crafted from copper. It looks similar to a gyroscope, but it has several glass lenses arranged around it's form, all etched with arcane symbols, and a massive blue stone just like the one inside Opherani's amulet. Through an archway that leads into another room, a bronze scaled dragonborn enters. "Opherani, welcome back. Oh, and Ava what a pleasant surprise. And these must be the interlopers. Welcome to the Bounders headquarters, I am Caj. Follow me, Kizzerai is expecting you." they say in a calm, velvety voice. They gesture to follow, and head back through the archway. Meanwhile, Opherani glares at you all. "I suggest you be more forthcoming with Kizzerai, he is the one who'll decide your fate. And trust me, you'd much rather have your memory wiped than the alternative."

"Whoa, don't jump to conclusions.  We are.. umm.. were in a strange land without any idea how much trouble we were in.  This is all overwhelming.  Franz there looks about ready to just give up, the rest are too scared shitless to speak much and I'm too stressed out to think of every little detail. Besides, how are we supposed to know what is pertinent and what isn't?  We saw a mirror in the dragon hoard on the material plane.  We eventually decided to take it with us, as it was odd to find it there.  It's a mirror... But it's lost now, so no matter. 

As for the 'Mansion', that's an inside joke.  Clermar here wasn't raised all that civilized and any structure with four walls, a roof and a floor that isn't dirt is a 'mansion' to him.  It started off as a snobbish oneuppance from Liafial and now the group endearingly calls any place we stay that isn't outside a 'mansion' to poke fun at Clermar and remind Liafial here to keep his nose closer to the ground."  Ospos turns to look at both Liafial and Clermar, making sure Opherani is behind and can't see, to do the 'play along' wink.  "When we speak to Kizzerai, I will make absolutely sure to be completely forthcoming of everything I can think of, regardless of what I think is irrelevant or not."

Ospos: (gimme a deception check)

Deception: 12 

Ava: Opherani's eyes cut towards you like daggers. "No. No I haven't known anyone to do that. Take responsibility for these miscreants if you want, but if I find that they pulled anything while in the Feywild, I'll have them taken care of myself."

Ospos: Now he turns back to you, suspicion still blatant on his face. "A convenient story. You'd do well to take your friend's advice." he says, nodding to Liafial's comment before storming off ahead.

A mischievous smile plays across Caj's scaled lips as they listen to the tense exchange. They are quiet though as they lead you all out of this room, into a massive open space. You walk out onto a wide mezzanine, a walkway which stretches around the rim of this space, the entirety of which seems to be lit with soft, sourceless ambient light. Below, there is a bustling collection of small buildings and stalls, with cramped streets and narrow alleys between them. It's hard to make out many details due to the distance, but also due to the dizzying variety of architecture and people. You see folks of all different sizes, some with horns, or wings, one made out of stone, one wreathed in flames. Despite being much calmer, the mezzanine you're on is also populated with a diverse array of people. Many of them look similar though: tall, muscular folks with yellowish skin, flat noses and pointed ears. They wear blue and grey robes, with the Bounder symbol: a circle pierced by an arrow. Ava, you recognize them as githzerai monks belonging to the Kara'vi clan, who are allied with the Bounders and protect this base. They walk around or look down on the activity below. Eventually you are led to another grey stone archway, beyond it are a set of stairs that lead up to another room. Opherani, still looking aggravated, vaults up these steps ahead of you all. A booming voice precedes your entrance. "Opherani! You always look so tense. You've brought the interlopers, yes?" Caj leads you after Opherani into the large chamber. Chamber is a loose word for it though, as there are no walls or ceiling, just a dark expanse twinkling with stars, swathes of light and color, and two dozen or so swirling apertures, through which landscapes can be seen. Some looks similar to places you could imagine being on your home plane, while others are utterly alien: an expansive battlefield soaked in an impossible amount of blood, a pearlescent mountain with gleaming castles and golden clouds, a tumbling landslide that evaporates into feathers which flutter into a swarm of bats before incinerating into ash. It is the entire multiverse on display, a sight so awe inspiring that you almost don't notice the massive sphinx, lounging casually in the middle of the stone floor. Kizzerai is a striking figure: his human-like face has ebony skin, with a crest of matching black feathers and a cascade of cream colored dreadlocks. They match a thick beard, and the color of the fur on his feline body which is also marked by tawny stripes like a tiger. The wings folded on his back are deep blue in color at the tips, but darken to black where they meet his powerful muscled shoulders. They spread as he stands when you all enter, before kneeling down and placing his wings low to the ground in a grand bow to you all. Resting back down to get a little closer, he smiles broadly with fanged teeth, and a twinkle in his golden eyes. "Friends, you are quite a long, long way from home. Tell me, how have you found yourselves in this strange place? And Ava! Child of Elysium, are you not out searching for your father?"

Franz looks around, taking in all the beauty and wonder.

"Why do I get to see all of this, only to have it all taken away."

Tears start to roll down Franz face and he bows his head in his hands to hide it.

Clermar, looking confused and growing in frustration says "How we got here? I don't even know where 'here' is. As far as I can tell I've been drugged or knocked out or I'm dead. We just vanished from a crazy wood a second ago, I don't even know some of these people. I think we left some more people back in a cave with a giant worm or drunk asleep somewhere, but I'm having a hard time keeping anything strait with this headache. I had never left the city until a few days ago, so I have no idea how I got here. Why don't YOU tell me how I got here!" He speaks getting louder and louder before he is shouting and out of breath. He takes a few quick, labored breaths before calming a bit and adds "Please!"

Ospos, alarmed by Clermar's outburst, provides the first answer that comes to his head, "Kizzerai, Bounder Opherani brought us here."

Kizzerai's brow raises into a quizzical expression, fangs still showing in a smile. Opherani lets out a sharp exasperated sigh before responding. "Sir, these people allegedly became trapped in a cave on the material plane and managed to escape by discovering an artifact, a mirror I believe, which transported them to the Feywild. I intend to investigate their activities while they were on the plane, but... I don't believe they pose a threat." he says a bit begrudgingly. "My recommendation is that they have their recent memories wiped as per protocol so that they can be returned to the material plane." You all get the impression that this is his idea of being merciful. Kizzerai crosses his paws and looks thoughtful, eyes now turning to those of you who haven't spoken yet.

Dril has remained mostly silent during this entire ordeal. He was miserable. it had been his own actions that led a team of students to their demise, yet here he is now, possibly facing a similar fate. With fidgeting fingers, Dril's minute figure turns upward towards Kizzarai's impending form, avoiding eye contact,

"Truth is, all accounts of our journey have been true. As I'm sure you know, we didn't exactly 'happen' upon the mirror. We had been hired to search for an artifact, having no idea of its power. No motive for the item's use were ever given. On the Material Plane, motive is often more important than the action when viewing the grand scheme, perhaps we can investigate the motive as beings of the material plane to elucidate the grander scheme??"

Dril clears his throat and genuflects briefly. He is now avoiding the eyes of everyone, feeling he has spilled the beans so to speak.

Ava bows deeply before speaking, holding the pose for several seconds. "I wholeheartedly believe that these people are telling the truth, sir. They have no mal-intent towards the Feywilds or its denizens, and wish simply to return to their plane. In regards to my father, I continue my search for him, and I believe that this group could assist me in that endeavor. With that being said, I would request that they be allowed to leave with me, with their memories unaltered."

Kizzerai's head cocks to one side and his tail swishes back and forth. "Intriguing. Intent is indeed important... but there are protocols. Of course I do make those protocols, and protocols are really just rules of thumb, and as it turns out, I have no thumbs." he says with a slightly sing-songy cant. "They could never return to their home with their current knowledge of what lies beyond it, unless of course they were trusted, proven, codified, bonafide Bounders. A clever scheme. So deputies they can be for now, their punishment shall be responsibility, a punishment you must share with them Ava, as their senior. But of course this punishment has perks; it is for you all to decide whether you're lucky or not in all of this." Kizzerai stands, towering above the assembled group. Looking up to the beautiful display above him, he waves a hand and three of the windows grow larger, shifting into the very center above you all. One displays a dark landscape of mountains and deserts that looks like it was drawn by heavy strokes of charcoal. One looks like the inside of a watch, until you focus and can make out tiny skylines poking out of the turning gears and mechanisms. The other contains a vision of a wide open sky, with massive clouds that look like towers. A dark storm rages far in the distance. "We've no real leads on your father's whereabouts Ava, but Caj has located three of his known associates. An archaeologist, and an old friend of your father, Verrina Dusttoe, currently explores the Shadowfell, hunting for some ancient relic. On the elemental plane of air, the djinni Karamash resides in his cloud palace. Karamash is a collector of all sorts, who's done business with your father before, trading him rare tomes. And then there's the Record Keeper, an entity essential to the functions of the plane of Mechanus. With records of every quantifiable, numerical piece of data in the multiverse, it's no wonder your archivist old man has visited them many times. My suggestion is to seek out any of them, it's possible they may have some information on where, or when, or how your father is, or has been, or will be." Kizzerai lowers himself again, peering into the eyes of the party. "My new prospects, you will run along with Ava. Assist her. Make note of things that are out of place... aberrations in the hells, fiends in the beastlands, monsters in the heavens, celestials in pandemonium. Could be nothing, could be something. If you prove yourselves trustworthy, you'll be able to go home, then vacation on the beaches of the elemental plane of water, or eat milk and honey on Mt. Celestia, or party in the Feywild." he says the last bit with a wink to Opherani. "Speaking of, Opherani, please do investigate any potential disturbances our interlopers had on your plane. Do as you see fit with whatever you find. You're all dismissed now." he says matter of factly before laying down, curling up, and seeming to fall into an immediate nap. Opherani casts one last glare at the lot of you. "Pray that you don't hear from me any time soon." he says before storming out of the room. Caj meanwhile nods and smiles at you all graciously. "In my opinion, fortune favors you. Come, quartermaster Krug will equip you for your journey, wherever you decide to set off to." They gesture to follow and head back towards the stairs.

Nean bites his lips, ultimately deciding not to say anything additional and follows Caj out of the room.

Ava bows deeply again, "Thank you sir, your lenience and assistance are greatly appreciated. "

She then turns to whisper to the group as we make our way out, "I'd say that went well."

Franz who had been almost completely disconnected from the goings on, suddenly whips his head up at the word 'deputies'.

"What!? You mean we aren't getting our minds wiped?!"

His face changes from a look of despair to one of profound gratitude, tears continuing down his face.

"Thank you, thank you so much!"

Turning to Ava,

"Thank you Ava, thank you for your efforts on our behalf."

"We're not getting mind wiped! Thank all that is good!"

It's at this moment, looking around his companions, that Franz remembers,

"Oh! Bram and Frank! I completely forgot about them! We left them behind!"

Turning to Clermar,

"They weren't with you? Where could they have gotten too? Maybe they were with that Greg fellow, we met in Amaranth?"

Franz looks concerned about his missing companions.

"Is there some way we can find them? Some way to get them to us?"

Ospos looks at Franz and gives him a shove, "You're not Franz, you're Void.  Bram and Frank are your disguises! Snap out of it."

Looking at the others, Ospos says, "Well, that didn't go like I expected.  I'm still not sure what just happened.  But we can definitely help Ava find her father."

Liafial: You try and get a better look at the three vignettes, but can't make out much more detail as you are ushered out of the room.